American Society of Anesthesiologists Extremely Frustrated with Another Year of Medicare Payment Cuts

Today the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) expressed disappointment with the congressional “doc fix” provisions included in the recently passed government funding package. Instead of blocking the fourth straight year of Medicare payment cuts to physicians, the provisions only reduce the size of the 2024 payment cut by about half, leaving physician practices with unsustainable payment cuts.

When Blood Is a New Alternative Medicine for Pain Relief at Chula Pain Clinic

Chula Medicine researchers have successfully published an article on the injection of patient’s own platelets rich plasma into the shoulder ligaments resulting in pain reduction, heal torn ligaments and restore torn muscles as an alternative to surgery while reducing the side effects of prolonged use of pain medications.

Proposed Medicare Cuts Threaten Anesthesiology Practices Already Struggling Amid Pandemic

Medicare has finalized a regulation mandating drastic cuts to its payment rates for important health care services, threatening the practices of physician anesthesiologists who have been on the front lines of the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) opposes these detrimental payment reductions, and urges Congress to take immediate action to override the cuts and ensure physician anesthesiologists can continue to care for their patients while being fairly compensated for their work.

Arizonans Overwhelmingly Want Physicians to Supervise Nurse Anesthetists and Respond to Anesthesia Emergencies

The Arizona Society of Anesthesiologists (AzSA) and the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) strongly oppose Governor Doug Ducey’s decision to “opt-out” of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ physician supervision requirement, which dismantles the anesthesia care team model in Arizona by allowing nurse anesthetists to administer anesthesia without physician supervision. Only 28% of Arizona voters support the governor’s exemption to this federal regulation that requires nurse anesthetists to administer anesthesia under the supervision of a physician.

New Hampshire Anesthesiologists Lead Tele-Intensive Care Unit Innovation for COVID-19 Patients in Rural Areas during Public Health Crisis

Physician anesthesiologists have been on the frontlines caring for COVID-19 patients throughout the country, but in New Hampshire physicians have innovated with a Tele-Intensive Care Unit (TeleICU) hub to collaborate with physicians in rural hospitals to ensure infected patients from across the state get critical care expertise at no expense while receiving care close to home.

Use of Ketamine for a Non-medical Purpose: Statement from the American Society of Anesthesiologists

The American Society of Anesthesiologists firmly opposes the use of ketamine or any other sedative/hypnotic agent to chemically incapacitate someone for a law enforcement purpose and not for a legitimate medical reason. Ketamine is a potent analgesic, sedative and general anesthetic agent which can elevate blood pressure and heart rate, and can lead to confusion, agitation, delirium, and hallucinations. These effects can end in death when administered in a non-health care setting without appropriately trained medical personnel and necessary equipment.